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Written by

Mike Wells
mike.wells@indystar.com

Lance Stephenson had to block out the smell and keep his head on a swivel.

The Indiana Pacers swingman - often scared - ran the 15 flights of dark, dreary stairs in the Coney Island, N.Y., apartment building where he lived during the early part of his life to get in shape for basketball. Drug dealers and homeless people often frequented the stairwell for shelter. ...